Pediatric dentistry is as important to
a child's health as is their medical care. This
specialized branch of dentistry takes an additional two to
three years of residency to become board qualified.
This training includes general care, preventative
dentistry, interceptive orthodontics, growth and
development, and the care of children with special needs.
Our office, as well as the American
Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, recommends that your child
visit the dentist by his/her 1st birthday. You can make
the first visit to the dentist enjoyable and positive.
Your child should be informed of the visit and told that
the dentist and their staff will explain all procedures
and answer any questions. The less to-do concerning the
visit, the better.
It is best if you refrain from using words around your
child that might cause unnecessary fear, such as "needle",
"shot", "pull", "drill" or "hurt". The office makes a
practice of using words that convey the same message, but
are pleasant and non-frightening to the child.
Usually around the ages of 2 ½ to 3 we recommend your
child have their first prophylaxis. At this visit we will
take any necessary x-rays, clean their teeth, apply
topical fluoride and perform a comprehensive examination.
The age of the child, as well as, the existence of
previous x-rays will determine which radiographs are
necessary. It is extremely important that we take x-rays,
because without them we may fail to diagnose a variety of
dental problems. If you have any questions about x-rays,
please discuss this with us prior to your first
appointment. After our examination the parents are asked
to join their child for a consultation. We will then
discuss your child’s overall dental health, growth and
development, treatment needs, preventative measures and
any present or future orthodontic needs with you.
We do allow parents to accompany small children to the
working area, but ask that they return to the waiting room
after the child is seated. For small children (under 2
years old) or children with special needs we may ask the
parent to remain present. Occasionally, there are a few
tears or a parent who is reluctant to allow us to care for
their child without their presence. Please remember that
we do love and care for all children and the parents’
cooperation and understanding help us provide the best
possible care for your child.
Since most of our patients are school age, we ask your
cooperation in alternating check-up appointments one
during school and one after. We have not had a
problem with excused absences from any school and,
generally, little time is lost during the school day for
check-ups. We understand many families have two
working parents, and we schedule and work efficiently to
respect your time.
We will see any child for a true
emergency, and someone is on call night and day. A
true emergency is a permanent tooth knocked out, a child
with a swollen face due to an infected tooth, pain that is
not controlled for a few hours by medication, a cut that
requires sutures, the possibility of a broken jaw, or a
fall where teeth are mal-positioned.
